Supporters tout Social Security reform in Northwest Iowa

Supporters of Social Security reform touted a plan last night in northwest Iowa, saying their proposal wouldn’t change benefits for people over 55 and would improve the situation for younger people. Lea Abdnor is a member of President Bush’s advisory council on Social Security. She says stopping the government from using Social Security trust funds for programs -other- than Social Security won’t fix the future funding shortfall. Abdnor says in the short-term, it may be a good idea for the excess money -not- to be collected by the government for Congress to spend on other things, but it won’t help in the long run. Former candidate for Governor, Bob Vander Plaats of rural Sioux City, is a member of the state advisory council called “For Our Grandchildren,” which is working on Social Security reform.Vander Plaats says his goal is to get people talking about this important issue to find a way to make Social Security better for our children and for the elderly who’ve been promised benefits. Former Governor Terry Branstad says there will be a shortfall of Social Security funds in about 15 years because people are living longer and there are fewer babies being born.Branstad, Vander Plaats and Abdnor support a plan to offer workers a choice to put part of their payroll tax in private investments. They held a roundtable talk in LeMars last night.